Seven crime books that challenge the idea of inherent female goodness

Christina Dalcher earned her doctorate in theoretical linguistics from Georgetown University. She specializes in the phonetics of sound change in Italian and British dialects and has taught at several universities.

Her short stories and flash fiction appear in more than one hundred journals worldwide. Recognition includes the Bath Flash Fiction Award short list, nominations for the Pushcart Prize, and multiple other awards. She lives in Norfolk, Virginia, with her husband.

Dalcher's latest novel is Femlandia.

At CrineReads she tagged seven recent books that challenge the "traditional world view that the fairer sex is, well, fairer." One title on the list:

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn — Adora Crellin

We could also talk about Amma Crellin in Flynn’s debut novel, but let’s stick to the source of the problem—the mother. Adora (aptly named) showers her daughters with attention. It’s just that it’s the wrong sort of attention in this psychological thriller featuring that worst of all maternal perversions: Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy. It’s difficult to think of a purer evil than poisoning your own child.

Read about the other entries on the list.

Sharp Objects is among Nicole Trope's six domestic suspense novels where nothing is really ever what it seems, Heather Gudenkauf's ten great thrillers centered on psychology, and Peter Swanson's ten top thrillers that explore mental health.

--Marshal Zeringue